Almost Famous
by MFLuder42
Summary: The following is a story of growing up, falling in love with music, touring the country, falling in love with the boy, working for a record label, and meeting the crossroads in life where important decisions are made. AU
1. Preface

Disclaimer: The characters are not mine.

* * *

My name is Bella and I'm at a crossroads in my life. What I'm about to tell you is based on a true story, well, true for the most part. The names and some of the events have been changed to protect the innocent, and the guilty. Mostly to protect the guilty, and most of the time the guilty party was me. I guess we'll get to that in the portion of the story where I air my various escapades. You can judge the events accordingly.

My life has been one filled with dramatics and music, typically both at the same time. I've had a wild ride over the past 26 years, and the past 8 years have been particularly unique and I suppose that is where my story starts.

I love music and have for as long as I can remember. As a young child my mother told me I would dance and hum along to music in my crib and high chair. While I had seen a few shows prior to the age of 17, my first show I decided to go to on my own was that fateful year of my life. That was the first time I really felt alive. I'm not going to tell you my taste was particularly refined, because that would be a lie, but I will never forget the first time I stepped into a rock show. I saw New Found Glory, Alkaline Trio and blink-182. In that moment, I knew I was changed forever. That was the first show-high I ever had.

A show high is simple. It's the elated feeling a person has after witnessing a particularly amazing music concert. I caught it bad that night and I knew I would need another hit quickly to get that feeling back. So, I decided to drive 5 hours to see the show again, and another 3 hours to see it a 3rd time. If knew then this would become the trend in my life…

My demeanor changed. I had been looking for an outlet in my life, and here it was, right in front of me. I had tasted freedom and felt the rebel for those nights. I was permanently changed.

That summer continued on, and I found myself at an Eve6 show at a local venue. That was the first time I ever laid eyes on Edward Cullen. He was in the opening band playing bass when I walked into the room. He was gorgeous. Stunning. Tall and lean with messy copper colored hair. He looked like a runner or a basketball player, but there he was playing an instrument and occasionally singing. He was like a magnet. I had to know him.

I watched both bands and then went to buy a t-shirt from Edward Cullen. Honestly, I didn't like the t-shirt very much, it was orange with black writing and 2 sizes to big and reminded me of Halloween in all the wrong ways, but it had their tour dates on the back and buying the shirt would give me the opportunity to talk to the intriguing bassist.

Our exchange was short, I can't even remember what I said (nervousness), but I remember I made the promise I would come see them again now that I had the t-shirt with the tour dates across the back. He was kind and gave me a stunning smile that took my breath away. It was all I could do to get away before I started giggling.

Over the course of that summer, I became friends with Edward. Well, friends might be too strong of a word. We became friendly. I hadn't exchanged numbers with him or any of the other members of his band, Second Place, but we were definitely on a first name basis and our conversations were becoming friendlier with each passing show. It was wonderful and frustrating. My crush on Edward grew with each show that summer had to offer and my love for the band intensified with every moment. .

I went to college that fall a couple of hours away and got into a routine of listening to new bands. I was lucky enough to be within an hour of Chicago, so I was able to head into the city to see shows from time to time. It was in the spring of that first year that my relationship with Second Place and Edward changed forever.

I lived in a dorm room with 2 very active girls on campus and they came to me and asked if I knew a band that would be willing to play a concert on one of the quads. This was it! I found the band's e-mail address on their website and set them up to play the show. Second Place were coming to stay with me and to play a show at my college. Edward Cullen, Emmett McCarty, and Jasper Whitlock were coming to change my life forever.

And that is where my story and my music industry career began. The following is a story of growing up, falling in love with music, touring the country, falling in love with the boy, working for a record label, and meeting the crossroads in life where important decisions are made. The question is, will I make the right one?

* * *

**So, this is just something I am trying out. Already working on the next chapter and since I have all of the events of the story locked in my memory, I should be able to crank out the whole story in due time.  
**


	2. Going Away To College

**Disclaimer: I still don't own them and I think it's kind of funny we have to write disclaimers.**

* * *

"Hey, is this Bella?" the male voice spoke into my brand new cell phone my parents had only just consented to buy me. It was him. It was Edward. I tried to fight back the intense butterflies which had been floating in my stomach all day, but had intensified 1000-fold with the sound of his perfect voice in my ear. "Hello?" he asked again.

"Hi," I squeaked out, realizing I had kept him waiting long enough that he had felt the need to make sure I had really gotten his phone call, "It's me!" I finished with a bit more conviction and strength in my voice.

"Awesome. We're just getting off the exit from the highway and should be at your place shortly. Is that cool?" he replied.

"Of course!" I replied, running around my apartment, making last minute adjustments to everything around the room while my roommates, Jessica and Angela, looked on with knowing smirks. I had showed them pictured of Second Place and played the band's music for them. It wasn't really their thing, but both of my roommates were nice about it, and even more than that they had agreed to let the guys stay over.

Even though I tried to hide it, Jessica and Angela had also pieced together my crush on Edward. They both had boyfriends of their own and felt I was under experienced in the world of love and everything involved, so they felt it was their duty to teach me the mechanics during late night conversations, much to my chagrin. Jessica and Angela were far more experienced than me, and they desperately wanted to me to catch up. They also did everything possible to try to find a boyfriend for me. It hadn't worked yet. I was very shy back then. I guess I still am in a lot of ways. The shy awkward girl rarely gets the guy. That stuff is reserved for books and movies. Reality is a bit less forgiving.

"I'll run downstairs and let you in," I finished, trying not to let my voice shake.

"Cool! We're pulling up right now. See you in a sec," Edward said.

Here goes nothing.

I hurried down the stairs and opened the door to see a large white van and trailer pull in the drive with my home states' plates on the front. Jasper was driving the van and he was the individual I was lest comfortable with at that point, purely because I knew him the least. He was more quiet and reserved than the other two. He was also extremely handsome, and that didn't help me pluck up the courage to approach him at all. Emmett hopped out of the passenger seat with a video camera in hand, filming me. What the heck?

"Hey Bella!" he called, clearly excited to be here. He walked over, still filming, then gave me a hug while the camera was still rolling. "Hey Bella, can we go see the football stadium? I want to document everything about being out here," he asked. Emmett was massive. He was very good looking, but a bit too muscle-bound for my taste. I could see why other girls would find him attractive. He was also a huge fan of my university's football team, not that I could blame him.

"Sure Emmett! I thought we could go eat dinner at Recker's. It's close to the stadium and I figured you guys would want to see it," I replied. They were spending the night tonight and then playing the show tomorrow night. Emmett was so big, I hadn't even noticed Edward come up behind him.

"Hey Bella," he said, leaning in to give me a quick hug. He smelled like heaven. He smiled as he released me and I nearly melted into a puddle in the ground.

"Hi Edward," I breathed. I could feel the grin spread tightly across my face and my cheeks flushed pink, "So, are you guys hungry?" It was a silly question. Guys are always hungry.

"Yes!" all three chorused, so I led them inside to drop off their stuff and go to the bathroom while I grabbed my car keys. I called Angela and Jessica and told them to meet us as the restaurant while we all piled in my car and drove over to the University.

The girls were there when we entered and they waved us over to their table. I introduced everyone and they gave me a knowing smile when I got to Edward. Cleverly, the Angela and Jess each started talking to Emmett and Jasper when we sat, forcing me to sit next to Edward. I was in full panic mode.

"So," he said, smiling at me, "What's good here?"

"The pizza is always decent. That's what I'm going to get. It's really a pretty standard university restaurant," I began to ramble.

"Pizza it is," he smiled down on me. "So, thanks for getting this set up for us. University shows are where it's at. We're actually making more money playing this show than we have ever made before. It was worth taking the 2 days off of school. You're amazing!" he finished.

"Anytime!" I relaxed a bit, hearing he was genuinely thankful for my role in getting them the show. I continued, "I was just glad to get a great band out here. What have you guys got planned this summer?"

He went through the band's summer plans for local shows and the conversation flowed easily. We were laughing and discussing tours we wanted to see when he used the words I didn't want to hear – 'my girlfriend.'

"Yeah, my girlfriend and I are planning on driving out…"

I couldn't hear the rest of his words because everything kind of blurred when he said "girlfriend." I nodded and plastered a smile on my face and acted excited, but I could hear from the tone of his voice that he truly was in love with this 'Tanya' he was talking about. In fact, I suspected most of the bands' love songs might have been about her. I was right.

When I asked if their songs were in fact about her, he replied with a smile, "Yeah, they are actually. I'll have to tell you the stories behind some of the songs sometime."

Oh well. I knew it was too good to be possible. At least we would turn out to be good friends. Of course he had a girlfriend. It had been silly of me to have ever hoped otherwise.

The rest of the night passed and I enjoyed myself. I had resigned myself to the fact I could only be friends with Edward, and that helped me to be more myself around him. Jasper was still fairly quiet, but I enjoyed talking with him the few conversations we had. He seemed like an old soul. Emmett was, well, Emmett. Loud and fun and the person everyone else gravitated toward. I couldn't blame them. Emmett was just great to be around. I suspected he was the type of person that was never down, or sad. Edward was great. He was witty and smooth. You could tell by his additions to the conversation that he was smart and well read.

When we had finished I drove us all back over to the apartment and popped in a music DVD of a band we were all fans of and we all chatted until we fell asleep.

I had class the next day, so I got up and hopped in the shower. I dressed quickly and ate a bowl of cereal before checking on the guys. I had had an early class, so they were all still asleep when I walked in, but Emmett cracked an eye and told me they were going to do some sightseeing when they all woke up. I nodded and he told me to call them when I got done with class.

I was absolutely unable to pay attention during class that day. I had 3 hour-long classes that morning, and the rest of the afternoon free. Whenever you want time to speed up, it always slows to a crawl. That's just the way things go. So, after 3 agonizing hours, where I would swear the clock was ticking backward, the time had finally come for me to meet up with the guys.

I called Edward and we planned to meet up outside of the stadium. When I got there, I noticed Emmett with the video camera in hand again.

"Why are you filming me?" I whined as I walked up to them.

"Well, obviously, because you are so beautiful," he replied with a big goofy smile on his face.

I grinned, but flushed because people never called me beautiful, even in the joking manner Emmett just had. I was fairly plain. Long brown hair, brown eyes, skin that refused to tan. I was typical, and that was made me so shy. I also dressed like a boy. Band t-shirts, jeans and black chuck taylor's were my uniform at that point in my life. If I only knew then what I know now… Oh well, you can't change the past.

I chucked nervously and shook my head at Emmett, meeting Edward's eyes. He smiled and shrugged and patted my shoulder. My skin warmed and shocked at his casual touch, but I did everything in my power to suppress my crush on him.

We walked around for a couple of hours and I showed them the various sites. Emmett had been here several times as a child to visit the school for football games, so he was like a kid in a candy store, running around and filming everything he could see.

Edward and I continued to talk about music and our favorite books. We had similar taste, but not the same. He gave me suggestions on books he thought I would like and I did the same for him. It was comfortable, and I found myself increasingly glad I had the opportunity to be friends with someone so interesting.

When the time came for the show, I went over with the guys and Edward made someone take a picture of the band and me in the back of the van. I felt nervous, but was happy to be there. When the guys got on stage, it was amazing. I stood in the front of the crowd singing and dancing and taking photos. It was amazing. Suddenly, during a break between songs, Edward called my name.

"Bella, come up here with us!" he called. I panicked, and nervously shuffled up onto the stage with him. He continued, "Bella is our good friend from home and she is going to sing this next song with us!"

He winked at me and the band broke into a well known blink-182 song that was currently on the radio. The crowd went wild because up until that point, Second Place had been playing their own music and since they weren't from around the area, no one knew the songs. Edward and I shared his microphone and it was amazing to see the crowd below singing and dancing. It was unlike anything I had ever felt before. I was nervous but so excited and I think the adrenaline was the only thing to keep me up on the stage. When the song finished, Edward hugged me and I got down off the stage as they continued through the remainder of the set.

When they wrapped up, I stayed out of the way while the crowd bought copies of their cd and t-shirts and the band signed autographs. I knew I had to have more of this experience. I would have followed these guys to the end of the world to see them play. It was amazing.

I helped them load their equipment into the trailer and it was time to say goodbye. They had to get back home for school and various activities and so I hugged each of them and said my goodbyes.

"Bella, you are amazing. You know that, right?" Edward asked. I smiled and he continued, "Call me when you get back for the summer. You'll be home in a month, right?"

"Yep," I replied. "I'm almost done and then I'll be working at home this summer. I'll give you a call when I get back."

With that he smiled and hugged me again before hopping in the driver seat of the van. We waved and called "goodbye!" to each other as the van pulled out of the university and headed toward the highway and I sighed, knowing my life at school would be mundane for the next month. I would be counting down the days until I could get home to see them again.

* * *

**Just the start of this story. Lots more to come! You'll have to let me know whether you think this is interesting or not. It's hard for me to judge because a lot of it is quite real to me. Thank you as always to stkirsch who always reviews and makes me feel good about writing this stuff!**


	3. Globes and Maps

Disclaimer: Not mine! Wish they were.

* * *

Imagine my surprise when I received a phone call from Edward Cullen less than a week later. His name flashed across the screen of my phone and I nearly dropped it in surprise.

"Hey Edward! How's it going?" Good start. I was, what was that word they used on 'Friends…' Breezy. Yeah, I was definitely breezy.

"Hey Bella! Just wanted to see what you're up to and thank you again for hooking us up with that show. It was amazing. We had a great time out there and I'm glad we have such a good friend in you," he said. I was floored. He called me to check in and to thank me again. This was excellent.

"No problem Edward. I was happy to do it. Honestly, that show was the most interesting thing that has happened here all year. Everyone had a good time. In fact, they wrote up a review in the school newspaper I am going to send over to you," I informed him.

"Awesome, I have a present for you too." He had a present for me? What?

"You do?" I questioned, clearly confused, "Why, and what is it?"

He laughed softly at the other end. "That is for me to know and for you to find out. It's really not a big deal, but I've got it waiting here for when you get home."

"Well, whatever it is, thank you in advance and I hope it isn't anything too crazy. I hate being left in suspense," I finished. I was a low maintenance girl. I didn't much care for presents or surprises. They made me feel anxious and nervous. I was absolutely feeling that way when he announced he had something for me.

"It's really not a big deal Bella," he said, clearly trying to calm my fears. "We have a show the first week you're home at Peabodies downtown. You'll get it then."

"Well, I am anxiously awaiting getting home. I've got finals coming up and I am just ready to be done already. It will be nice to see you guys again. Sounds like you've got your summer tour plans in order," I said, trying to find something to keep the conversation going longer. I was still nervous.

"Yeah, we really should have some great shows this summer and there are also some awesome shows coming in town. I'm excited, but hey, I've got to run. Tanya is calling and we are supposed to do dinner tonight. I'll talk to you soon, alright?" Dang.

"Yeah! No problem Edward. Talk to you soon!" I said, trying to sound chipper.

"Later!" he finished, and I heard the phone click over.

That was the first phone call of many over the remaining weeks of school. We didn't really talk about much, it was just a quick catch up, or he called to inform me of a new show the band had added to the tour. He would also mention Tanya from time to time, and tell me new songs he was writing and what had inspired the lyrics.

It was conflicting. I was so happy to talk to him and to be his friend, but I was also bummed out that my only relationship with him could ever be friendship. I had to take what I could get, and I was content for the most part. He was fun to talk to, even though our phone conversations were short. The remaining weeks dragged by, but the highlights were always Edward's phone calls to me.

Soon, it was time to head home for the summer and while I would miss my friends, I was thrilled to get back to see the guys. I packed my car and drove home for the summer.

Second Place's first show of the summer happened within a week of my first week home. I called Edward when I pulled up to venue and he met me outside the front door with a hug.

"How were finals?" I asked him as we walked in the show together.

"Fine, I'm just glad to be done, to be honest. How about you?" He asked me as we approached the ticket table.

"Same. I'm glad to be home," I replied as I pulled out my wallet to buy a ticket. Edward grabbed my wrist as I reached out to pay the person running the ticket booth.

He looked at the ticket taker and said, "She's with us. All access."

I was floored as the girl pulled out a special 'band' wristband and put it on my wrist. He turned to talk to me when we had left the booth and headed toward the backstage area.

"You're good from now on. Just call me before a show and we'll get you on the guestlist."

"Thanks," I replied. "I really appreciate it, but you don't have to…"

He cut me off, "Maybe not, but we want to. You're our friend and we want you to hang out backstage with us. Friends don't pay," he finished with conviction.

I nodded my head, and was touched by the whole thing. When we got backstage, I was surprised by how small the area we were hanging out was. Emmett barreled though the various instruments to pick me up and spin me around. Shockingly, we didn't knock anything over, but I feel like it was a pretty close call. Jasper was more reserved in his greeting. He nodded his head at me from over in the corner where he was replacing the strings on his guitar.

I had decided to bring my camera to this show to take some photos. Photography was something I had gotten pretty into over the past couple of years and I wanted to document the Second Place shows I would be attending over the summer. I thought it would be best to tell Edward before I got in front of them and started snapping away. He gave me the green light and told me to go wherever I needed to go in order to get good photos.

It was time for them to get up on stage to play and I positioned myself directly in the front and center area of the crowd before the show started. I took about 50 photos on my camera and took extra care to get pictures of Jasper and Emmett in addition to all of the photos I was taking of Edward. The show was amazing, just like every other one I had been to in the past. After the show the band met with their fans and signed autographs while I waited in the wings. At this point in my life, the after-show wait was exciting and interesting. It was cool to watch your friends posing for pictures with fans and signing autographs. In time the excitement of it all fades, as most things done in repetition do.

I helped them load out again when the rest of the fans had left. Edward has perched himself on the edge of the stage before it was time to lock up for the night. He was sweaty and his messy bronze hair had curled in some areas, making it look even messier than usual. He looked tired, but happy.

"Good show tonight," I said, hopping up and sitting on the side of the stage next to him.

"Thanks," he replied, putting his head briefly on my shoulder before picking it up and turning to look at me. "I'm pretty tired, to be honest," he confessed, and his face fell a bit.

"Are you okay?" I asked, concerned by his sudden shift in demeanor.

"Yeah, I was just up late last night. Tanya and I had a bit of a fight and today was kind of a long day for me. It's okay, we're still together and things are better again, but still, I'm tired," he confessed. "I'm headed to her place tonight, and I'm hoping I don't fall asleep on my drive over there."

"Oh," I said, not quite sure what I should say when the object of the biggest crush of my life was admitting he was having relationship problems to me. I am not a mean spirited person, so I said the only thing I could, "I hope everything gets better between you two soon." This was a lie.

"Thanks Bella, you're the best," he sighed and threw and arm around me. I couldn't believe how good he smelled, even after playing a show. It was unnatural.

"Well," he continued, "we should probably get out of here before they lock us in. I also have that present for you."

"Oh, right," I replied. "I have the newspaper articles about you guys too."

"Excellent," he said, hopping down from the stage and offering me his hand to help me hop down myself. "Let's go exchange!"

We made our way out to the van and he reached in the front door to pull out a poster tube with a smiley face drawn on the top. I pulled it off and pulled out a poster sized picture we took in the back of the van at school the night they played. Each of them had written me a message, but my eyes darted to the neatest handwriting on the page. Of course, it was Edward's. It read:

_Bella, _

_I am so happy we know you and I can't wait for all the memories we are going to make together in the future. You're a great friend! _

_Love, _

_Edward Cullen_

"This is great Edward! I love it!" I exclaimed. He had written 'love' on the poster. I was out of my mind excited. He looked pleased, flashing me his crooked smile.

"I'm glad. I made one for our practice space too, so you are now an official member of Second Place since we've got your picture hanging up in the practice space. That's a big deal," he said with a wink.

"Happy to be a member," I replied.

He walked me to my car so he could grab the newspapers, and he opened my car door for me after I had unlocked it. He was a gentleman.

"Until next time fair Bella," He said, shutting my door and waving as he turned to walk back to the van.

* * *

**I'm a bit unsure of the story. I can't quite get a gauge on whether I am totally missing the mark or not. Let me know.**


End file.
